22 October – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Ronald E. Wilson, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Southeast Field Office, announced today that on October 20, 2005, a federal grand jury in Miami, Florida returned an Indictment charging defendant, Eric Paxton, with receiving illegal gratuities. Paxton was also charged with two (2) counts of making false statements based on his failure to disclose the gratuities on his annual financial disclosure forms.
According to the Indictment, from September 27, 2002 until July 17, 2003, Paxton received airline tickets, train tickets, lodging in a hotel room, and $5,000 cash from Tech-Optics, Inc. (“Tech-Optics”). Paxton, a public official at the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Miami, received the illegal gratuities in connection with his approval of various VAMC purchases from Tech-Optics.
If convicted, Paxton faces a maximum sentence of two (2) years’ imprisonment on the illegal gratuities charge and a maximum sentence of five (5) years’ imprisonment on the false statement charges.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Axelrod.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on .
